Feb. 9 - Bay Day 1
Bay Day for me is Deep Bay. Despite light, overcast skies, I placed my faith in the weather forcast and headed north. 40 minutes later I was basking in the morning sun at Deep Bay Spit. Unfortunately for me, so were about 6 others which meant the ducks wouldn't be very close in. Eventually, everyone left except another photographer and myself. The water was the calmest I have ever seen - nary a ripple or swell. All we needed was for the birds to drift in.
Usually the Red-necked Grebe stays about 50 meters out which is out of range for my camera. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see it drift in with the Longtails. There was no love lost between the Grebe and the Surf Scoter. The Grebe made a quick dash at the Scoter, and the Scoter exited stage right. I think the Grebe was just curious to see my camera as it just drifted by with no intent on looking for food. The usual group of scaup had left when the crowd arrived. However, one finally returned an swam right towards me only to reverse direction as a noisy boat headed our way. It was a Lesser Scaup. As I was photographing Longtails, a Horned Grebe popped up in front of everyone as if it wanted to be in the picture. I was happy to oblige. It's red eyes reminded me of how I looked after my last hang-over. Oh yes, I had fun with the Longtails today. They were in a friendly mood and didn't seem to mind coming in close occasionally. Perhaps it was the rising tide pushing the food closer to shore. A young male Longtail emerged from the water directly in front of me. It seemed to be a loner, staying separated fro the rest of the flock. As usual, the Longtails stayed just out of range for full-framed close-ups. But, patience was finally rewarded as an adult male swam up behind me. It was only about 25 feet away which was closest I've been all winter. It swam slowly by like a runway model showing off its right side. As it passed me, it slowly and deliberlately turned around to show its left side. That was the 2-page spread photo I have been waiting for. I usually check Qualicum on the way up to Deep Bay and then on the way back. There wasn't much happening except for a first winter Common Goldeneye cruising around the rocks at the wildlife viewing area. There were a few Black Turnstones sunning themselves on the rocks. Feb. 10 - Bay Day 2 Yesterday at Deep Bay was a piece of Heaven. Why settle for 1 day in Heaven when you can have 2? Conditions would be perfect for flight shots if nothing else. As usual, the Long-tailed Ducks were in but not as close as yesterday. I didn't mind waiting as once again, Baynes Sound was a glassy mirror surrounded by forested islands and snow-covered mountains. A peaceful hour of waiting was rewarded by only a cold, damp butt from sitting in the sand. A pair of Harlequins flew across my bow, but I was too stiff to react. I decided to walk down the beach towards the harbour. When I returned, a man was just about to lauch a stick in the water for his black lab to retrieve. I quickly set up the camera and waited. Splash! As the stick and dog hit the water simultaneously, the ducks took flight heading to Denman, but as expected, they circled and flew right in front of me to check out the disturbance. The flying Longtails were a pretty sight, especially in my viewfinder. It was foggy in Qualicum when I passed through in the morning. But, the scoters were close in so I stopped for a few pictures. I was surprised that this picture of a White-winged Scoter turned out. It was sunny in Qualicum as I headed home. The scoters were still around, and I was in no hurry. It's interesting that if you walk slowly up to the scoters, they will just paddle out to sea, and if you sit still and wait, they will return. However, if you're too quick, they will take flight and it would be quite a long time before they return. Clam-session - A Black Scoter had just grabbed a clam that was much too big to swallow. I watched as it tried to devour the bivalve. It made many attempts to down the hatch, to no avail. Finally, after a Herculean effort, it succeeded. At least I think it did as it seemed to be quite happy afterwards. NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS COLE'S PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS SAVE-ON FOODS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM BOOK BONANZA SAVE-ON FOODS DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
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